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A review by justjeanettelee
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
5.0
So it’s taken me a couple of days to actually process this book. I couldn’t write a review straight away. There was just so much I wanted to say, and I wanted to make sure I said it right.
Firstly, what a breathtaking debut novel. Tomi did an absolutely incredible job with this one. Fresh ideas in the fantasy world that hold complete relevance in our very own reality. The writing was fantastic, the plot amazing, pacing was perfect, and character arcs were phenomenal (although I think that Inan and Zélie’s change of heart towards each other was a little too quickly done).
Secondly, what a beautiful cultural vibe this book has. The one thing that I really really enjoyed about this book, was that it was filled with vocabulary I didn’t know. Such as all the different fashion items (I only knew what a kaftan was thanks to Now I Rise by Kiersten White). But now, my eyes are open to a whole new world. Every time I came across a word I wasn’t sure of, I wrote it down and looked it up. I loved that about this book - it opened up my eyes and horizons.
Thirdly, and this is probably the best part: every character within this novel is a person of colour! This is awesome! People of colour are so underrepresented in YA novels in general, usually assigned to a secondary or even tertiary role. This has started to change and I’m loving it! We need more representation up in here!
Fourthly, the magic. The system of magic in this book is breathtaking. Tomi actually has clans of magic, and no one character who possesses it is so OP. Zélie was a Reaper, pure and simple. She wasn’t a Mary Sue who has all the powers. And the magic being connected to one particular deity? Beautiful. And that’s another wonderful thing. The religion.
Lastly, my thoughts on maji and divîners. Oh my god. Holy shit. The oppression that they face. The treatment that Saran gives to Zélie. The PTSD. The everything about the place of divîners in this world. Tomi perfectly mirrors the atrocities that people of colour face in our world today. If you didn’t read her Author’s Note, I strongly suggest that you do.
Thank you Tomi Adeyemi for a beautiful book.
Firstly, what a breathtaking debut novel. Tomi did an absolutely incredible job with this one. Fresh ideas in the fantasy world that hold complete relevance in our very own reality. The writing was fantastic, the plot amazing, pacing was perfect, and character arcs were phenomenal (although I think that Inan and Zélie’s change of heart towards each other was a little too quickly done).
Secondly, what a beautiful cultural vibe this book has. The one thing that I really really enjoyed about this book, was that it was filled with vocabulary I didn’t know. Such as all the different fashion items (I only knew what a kaftan was thanks to Now I Rise by Kiersten White). But now, my eyes are open to a whole new world. Every time I came across a word I wasn’t sure of, I wrote it down and looked it up. I loved that about this book - it opened up my eyes and horizons.
Thirdly, and this is probably the best part: every character within this novel is a person of colour! This is awesome! People of colour are so underrepresented in YA novels in general, usually assigned to a secondary or even tertiary role. This has started to change and I’m loving it! We need more representation up in here!
Fourthly, the magic. The system of magic in this book is breathtaking. Tomi actually has clans of magic, and no one character who possesses it is so OP. Zélie was a Reaper, pure and simple. She wasn’t a Mary Sue who has all the powers. And the magic being connected to one particular deity? Beautiful. And that’s another wonderful thing. The religion.
Lastly, my thoughts on maji and divîners. Oh my god. Holy shit. The oppression that they face. The treatment that Saran gives to Zélie. The PTSD. The everything about the place of divîners in this world. Tomi perfectly mirrors the atrocities that people of colour face in our world today. If you didn’t read her Author’s Note, I strongly suggest that you do.
Thank you Tomi Adeyemi for a beautiful book.